Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Short-tailed pythons, Python curtus species group, occur predominantly in the Malayan Peninsula, Sumatra, and Borneo. The discovery of an adult female in Mon State, Myanmar, led to a review of the distribution of all group members (spot-mapping of all localities of confirmed occurrence) and an examination of morphological variation in P. brongersmai. The resulting maps demonstrate a limited occurrence of these pythons within peninsular Malaya, Sumatra, and Borneo with broad absences in these regions. Our small samples limit the recognition of regional differentiation in the morphology of P. brongersmai populations; however, the presence of unique traits in the Myanmar python and its strong allopatry indicate that it is a unique genetic lineage, and it is described as Python kyaiktiyo new species.

Invasive species represent a significant threat to global biodiversity and a substantial economic burden. Burmese pythons, giant constricting snakes native to Asia, now are found throughout much of southern Florida, including all of Everglades National Park (ENP). Pythons have increased dramatically in both abundance and geographic range since 2000 and consume a wide variety of mammals and birds. Here we report severe apparent declines in mammal populations that coincide temporally and spatially with the proliferation of pythons in ENP. Before 2000, mammals were encountered frequently during nocturnal road surveys within ENP. In contrast, road surveys totaling 56,971 km from 2003–2011 documented a 99.3% decrease in the frequency of raccoon observations, decreases of 98.9% and 87.5% for opossum and bobcat observations, respectively, and failed to detect rabbits. Road surveys also revealed that these species are more common in areas where pythons have been discovered only recently and are most abundant outside the python's current introduced range. These findings suggest that predation by pythons has resulted in dramatic declines in mammals within ENP and that introduced apex predators, such as giant constrictors, can exert significant top-down pressure on prey populations. Severe declines in easily observed and/or common mammals, such as raccoons and bobcats, bode poorly for species of conservation concern, which often are more difficult to sample and occur at lower densities.

Miller's Grizzled Langur (Presbytis hosei canicrus) is one of the least known and rarest primates in Borneo. With a limited geographic range along the central coast of East Kalimantan and the highly degraded Kutai National Park, its former stronghold, this subspecies is now extremely rare and has been listed as one of the world's 25 most endangered primates. From June 6 to August 2, 2011, we carried out both direct observation and camera trap surveys at two mineral springs (sepans) in the Wehea Forest, East Kutai district, East Kalimantan. Presbytis hosei canicrus was observed at the large sepan on 3 of 6 observation days and at the small sepan on 2 of 3 observation days with up to 11 individuals observed in a single day at a single site. Camera traps recorded a per day capture rate of 0.72 at the small sepan and 0.25 at the large sepan and a per photo capture rate of 0.50 and 0.005, respectively. These data suggest relatively frequent occurrence of P. h. canicrus at the sepans, but the langurs are rarely encountered elsewhere in the Wehea Forest. The discovery of P. h. canicrus in the Wehea Forest confirms the continued existence of this endangered primate and is the first solid evidence demonstrating that its geographic range extends further inland than previously thought. It is not known whether the population of P. h. canicrus within Wehea Forest is large and stable enough to be considered viable, but it is likely part of a larger population that may possibly occur across surrounding protected forests and logging concessions. Surveying this potentially large population, and securing its protection, should be a priority measure for ensuring the continued existence of P. h. canicrus.

Recently two species hitherto not found in Thailand were collected, Magnolia carsonii Dandy ex. Noot. var. drymifolia Noot. and Magnolia cathcartii (Hook.f. & Thomson) Noot. Both species are treated here. New keys to the species of Magnolia in Thailand based on flowering and fruiting specimens are given.

The Flora of Thailand treatment in 1975 recognised eight genera and 13–16 species in Thailand. Morphological studies and research using DNA sequence data, including nuclear DNA, have shown that only one genus occurs in Thailand, Magnolia L. Since 1975 many more species have been found to occur in Thailand, both newly described taxa and new records. Thus a new treatment for Thailand is presented recognising 25 species in a single genus, Magnolia. Keys are given to flowering and fruiting material, and synonymy, descriptions and supporting information provided.

Magnolia koordersiana (Noot.) Figlar is recorded for the first time in Thailand. The species is described and illustrated. Previously unknown populations of the two rare species Magnolia elegans (Blume) H.Keng and Magnolia praecalva (Dandy) Figlar & Noot. are also recorded.

Notes.— Readily distinguished from all other Magnoliaceae in Peninsular Thailand by the combination of axillary flowers and petioles without stipular scar. Magnolia koordersiana is scattered over a wide area in Peninsular Thailand from 6ํ35' to 9ํ51' latitude but is never common. We have seen a total of six mature trees with flowers or fruit, never more than two in a single locality. The lack of a stipule scar on the petiole can easily lead to confusion with other families, particularly Lauraceae, in the absence of flowers or fruit. Flowering trees range in size from 24–33 m with a dense crown and relatively few flowers open simultaneously, making this species difficult to spot in the forest. This may explain why there are no

Three orchid species, Lecanorchis javanica Blume, L. nigricans Honda and Vanilla grifﬁthii Rchb.f., are newly recorded for Thailand. The species are described and illustrated. Keys to the Thai species of Lecanorchis and Vanilla are also provided.

Key words: Lecanorchis, Vanilla, Orchidaceae, new record, Thailand.

Lecanorchis Blume and Vanilla Plum. ex Mill. belong to the tribe Vanilleae, subfamily Vanilloideae (Orchidaceae). Most genera of Vanilloideae are distributed worldwide. Vanilla is pantropical, with its greatest diversity in Brazil. The most important species for the production of vanilla is V. planifolia, a species indigenous to central America (Pridgeon et al., 2003).

Lecanorchis betongensis, a new species from tropical rain forest in southern peninsular Thailand, is described and illustrated. The combination of semicircular column wings and a labellum with an odd number of major veins (but devoid of calli) places the new species in sect. Lecanorchis. However, the lack of any fusion between the labellum and the column readily distinguishes L. betongensis from all other species of the genus. The new species seems morphologically closest to L. malaccensis from Thailand, Malaysia and Sumatra.

Distribution: Lecanorchis betongensis is apparently endemic to Thailand, but it might be expected also to occur across the border in Peninsular Malaysia.

Conservation: Known only from 4 collections from the type locality and a nearby locality within the same Subdistrict. The area is in Bang Lang National Park; it is well protected, but its flora is still poorly

Notes: The new species seems morphologically closest to L. malaccensis from Thailand, Malaysia and Sumatra. However, it differs from the latter species in having larger sepals and petals, and in its labellum being completely free from the column. Indeed, the lack of any fusion between the labellum and the column readily distinguishes L. betongensis from all other species of the genus. The combination of semicircular column wings and a labellum with an odd number of major veins (but devoid of calli) places the new species in sect. Lecanorchis as morphologically defined by Hashimoto (1990). However, the entire or only obscurely 3-lobed condition of the labellum in L. betongensis is not typical of sect. Lecanorchis.

Three orchid species, Lecanorchis javanica Blume, L. nigricans Honda and Vanilla grifﬁthii Rchb.f., are newly recorded for Thailand. The species are described and illustrated. Keys to the Thai species of Lecanorchis and Vanilla are also provided.

Key words: Lecanorchis, Vanilla, Orchidaceae, new record, Thailand.

Lecanorchis Blume and Vanilla Plum. ex Mill. belong to the tribe Vanilleae, subfamily Vanilloideae (Orchidaceae). Most genera of Vanilloideae are distributed worldwide. Vanilla is pantropical, with its greatest diversity in Brazil. The most important species for the production of vanilla is V. planifolia, a species indigenous to central America (Pridgeon et al., 2003).

Living under water for up to four months of the year: observations on the rheophytes of

the Mekong River in the Pha Taem National Park area (Thailand/Laos border)

Abstract

Rheophytes of the Mekong were investigated in the Pha Taem National Park area (Thailand/Laos border); a stretch of river ca. 100 km long was studied. The unusually harsh environmental conditions (water levels changing by several meters; plants submerged for up to four months per year) are described, and general characteristics and adaptations of these “extreme rheophytes” are elaborated on. The kinds of rheophyte habitats are characterized. A list of observed rheophytes (25 taxa) is provided and comments are made on their distribution patterns both in the study area and elsewhere. A comparison with “Siphandone Wetlands”, a well studied area of the Mekong in southern Laos, is included.

The floodplain vegetation of the Trang River basin, peninsular Thailand:

the threatened remnants of the freshwater swamp vegetation

Abstract

The study of the scattered remnants of the floodplain vegetation in the Trang River basin, peninsular Thailand was carried out from November 2008 to January 2010. One hundred and sixty species of vascular plants were recorded. The five most common families were Cyperaceae (22 species), Poaceae (12 species), Rubiaceae (10 species), Fabaceae and Phyllanthaceae (9 species each). Based on floristic compositions, nine association types were described. The spatial variation and differences in habitat distribution among these associations are explained by differences in successional stages due to the history of land uses and water regime. Moreover, the expected vegetation of the floodplain areas, reconstructed from the existing remnants left as isolated fragmentations, was proposed.

Plant communities were studied and ﬂ oristic surveys of vascular plants carried out on Khao Reng, a small “inselberg” in Songkhla province from October 2008 to February 2010. Seventy three species were recorded with the three most commonly encountered families being Orchidaceae (12 species), Rubiaceae (7 species), and Poaceae (7 species). Proﬁles of the vegetation on its microhabitats were made. The microhabitats on the rock platform of the inselberg of Khao Reng are categorized into seven types, rock crevices and clefts, rock falls, shallow depressions, deep depressions, exposed rock slopes, shady ﬂ at rocky slopes, and rock platform fringes. The rock platform fringes which possess various conditions of soil accumulation and light intensities, have accommodated the highest plant species numbers.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

A new species, Musa swarnaphalya, Uma, Saraswathi and Durai, has been identified from Sessa village of Balukpong district in southern Arunachal Pradesh. It is characterised by its unique greenish-yellow colour male bud. Diploid status of this species was proven using flow cytometry and its identity as a new species was assessed through morpho-taxonomy and confirmed through RAPD and IRAP markers. M. swarnaphalya grouped with M. itinerans and M. nagensium in a distinct cluster confirming its stand within the section Eumusa. Freedom from pests and diseases in its place of distribution suggests its possible utility as a resistant gene source in future breeding programmes.

Keywords: Banana, Musa swarnaphalya, new species.

Evidence of a new Musa species - M. swarnaphalya in India and its confirmation through morpho-molecular characterization

Musa siamensis or Thai Gold Banana is a quite recent discovery: it was discovered in the east of Thailand in 2002, soon exported to the West and was first described by Häkkinen, M. & R. H. Wallace in “Folia Malaysiana” in 2007.

The center of diversity of the genus Musa (Musaceae) is in Southeast Asia, a region not studied in detail and where new species and varieties continue to be reported. A new wild banana species, M. chunii Häkkinen from Yunnan, China is described and illustrated based on observed morphological characteristics in the field. This extremely rare new species was only found in Tongbiguan Nature Reserve, Dehong District, West Yunnan. A key to M. chunii and related taxa is provided. In addition, critical notes regarding M. rubra Kurz identity are given.